Tax Cuts

The GOP And Tea Party War On Cities And Quality Of Life In America! :(

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The Republican Party and the Tea Party Movement have declared war on American cities and the quality of life in America, with their insane call for massive cuts in spending, while continuing to promote a tax policy that will add to the already massive redistribution of wealth to the top two percent of the American people at the expense of everyone else! 🙁

When we are faced with loss of police, firefighters, sanitation workers, teachers, nurses, social workers, librarians, prison guards and other essential public service workers, and are ready and willing to add millions of people to the unemployment rolls, that is a crime against humanity, and particularly those living in cities!

When the cuts will endanger everyone and cheat the poor, the sick, the young, the elderly, and the quality of life for all of us on a daily basis, that is a crime against humanity!

When the bulk of the loss will be visited against the “blue” areas of America–with the biggest assault against New York City, Chicago, Washington, DC, Los Angeles and San Francisco, it is clear that this attack on the deficit is just a political assault by the Republican Party against Democratic strongholds!

If these and other cities and major metropolitan areas are to suffer losses that will impact everyone’s life in a massive way, then the country is not just losing temporarily, but is being fundamentally harmed for decades and generations long term!

What the GOP is trying to do, in league with the Tea Party Movement, is return America to the 19th century, to a time before this nation became an urban, modern society! The Gilded Age time of maldistribution of wealth and exploitation of minorities and immigrants is returning after decades of real progress toward social justice!

The government has been starved from tax revenue by policies of Republican Presidents and Congresses, who have been very willing to add to the national debt instead, rather than make those who have more to pay more as a part of the responsibility of success and opportunity that this country has offered them!

The “American Dream” is being destroyed by those who never have cared about the middle class, the poor, and the vulnerable in our society. They think mouthing about “Christian values” replaces real commitment to practice what one preaches.

This has all been done in the image of promoting religion but forgetting the basic teaching of Jesus Christ that we are our “brother’s keeper”.

Republican Aims And Public Attitudes Clash!

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The Republican Party, which took over the House of Representatives today, is committed to cutting of entitlements (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid), preserving of defense spending, and continued cutting of taxes.

At the same time, public opinion polls show just the opposite! They show the public wants heavy taxation of the rich, cutting of defense spending, and leaving entitlements, that have been the heritage of the New Deal and Great Society, alone!

Will the Republican Party listen to the American people in public opinion polls? The answer is almost certainly no, but by ignoring the public, it is likely to harm the GOP push to keep the House of Representatives and gain control of the Senate and the Presidency in 2012!

An Amazing, Historic Day: Triple Victory And Culmination Of Brilliant Lame Duck Session, One Of Greatest Performing In American History! :)

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December 22, 2010, will go down in history as an extremely rare day in American history, as THREE major accomplishments came to fruition in just a few hours! 🙂

The signing of the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” for the military in a morning ceremony was a great civil rights victory, the greatest since 1965.

The ratification of the START Treaty with Russia was President Obama’s greatest foreign policy accomplishment in office, and won 13 Senate Republican supporters, winning 71-26 in the afternoon. This was an important step forward in gaining Russian support for dealing with the growing threat presented by Iran.

And then, in an ultimate vote of conscience, the Congress gave justice to September 11 First Responders by passing medical care legislation for those heroes who worked so hard under difficult conditions after the tragic attack on the World Trade Center.

This day just culminates a fantastic Lame Duck Session, in which unemployment compensation extension was accomplished, along with continuation of tax cuts that already existed (but unfortunately with continued tax cuts to the top two percent, which will add nearly a trillion to the national debt, but a necessary compromise under the circumstances), and a food safety bill which gives the Food and Drug Administration more authority over the subject than at any time since 1938 under the New Deal.

The only major failure and loss was the DREAM Act, which Obama made clear, at a triumphant, confident, press conference, was still a major goal to be accomplished in the 112th Congress, which seems doubtful.

But Obama certainly revived from the major defeat in the midterm elections just six weeks ago, and is seen as having made a “comeback”, which means no one should underestimate his ability to get things done, and to accomplish his goals, because as he said, when he feels strongly about some issue, he is “persistent”!

So we should all congratulate Obama and his party for having done what seemed to be the impossible–REAL accomplishments in a Lame Duck session, which many Republicans thought was a useless waste of time! HOW WRONG THEY WERE !

Buyer’s Remorse: Second And Third Thoughts On Tax Deal Between Barack Obama And The GOP! :(

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The tax legislation negotiated between President Barack Obama and the Republican leadership this week has had much reaction from all sides of the political spectrum, and it has been a long week of serious reflection on the value of the arrangement.

Originally, the author called this a “Pearl Harbor” event, and then was swayed by many commentaries that called it a sign of bipartisanship, and switched his view to support.

Upon further reflection this weekend, and after a great discussion with my son David, who has worked on Capitol Hill or with people on Capitol Hill for the past four and a half years, I must now express what I call second and third thoughts on the agreement, and withdraw my support of the deal, sorry to say! 🙁

While bipartisanship is important as a concept, it is unrealistic to expect that there will be any truthful cooperation between the GOP in the House and the growing Republican minority in the Senate with President Obama.

What it comes down to is that the wealthy received a continuation of a tax cut which is what has created the tremendous national debt growth since 2001. What was the so called “Bush tax cuts” are now the “Obama tax cuts”! 🙁

While it is true that unemployment compensation was allowed to be extended for another 13 months, the reality is what will happen in a year when unemployment will still be very high, and the Republicans in the House will refuse to promote a bill that will extend it? 🙁

What will those millions of people, many of them middle aged or older, with little education, no money to do job training, already losing their homes, unable to support their families on minimum wage jobs if they could get them, be expected to do to survive? Are the Republicans going to give a damn what happens to these families, including single mothers with children, and not just minorities, but millions of whites as well, when they now argue that many people on unemployment compensation don’t want to work? 🙁

What about the reality that the so called “99ers” do not get any extension at all now, and apparently never will, and will be living on the streets, or in their cars if they are not dispossessed? What about the harm being done to millions of children who are victims of this economic mess? 🙁

Beyond the unemployment compensation issue, by lowering the Social Security tax by two percent for two years, the Social Security system is being harmed, and when Obama calls for a return to the original 6.2 percent tax for Social Security in 2012, the Republicans will call it a tax increase and work to prevent it, therefore undermining the whole social safety net that Social Security represents. 🙁

It is clear that if it is left up to the Republican Party, the social safety net represented by Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will be destroyed over time, and that will make the country even more stratified, whereby by 2050, half the wealth of the nation will be in the hands of the top one percent, instead of the present 24 percent, brought about by the massive tax cuts to the wealthy since 2001! 🙁

Also, supposedly the government is committed to prevention of increase of the national debt, but has now agreed to legislation which will add nearly a trillion to the debt, which the GOP will blame on Obama in 2012.

So while Charles Krauthammer might say that Obama has improved his chances of winning a second term in 2012 by making this deal, the question is even if that were to be true, what is most important is NOT whether any person wins the Presidency in 2012 (although Obama would be the best choice available), but how it affects the welfare of the American people for the long term!

While obviously the liberal Democratic base cannot expect to win all that they want to occur, for Obama to have alienated them to the point that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid absented themselves from the signing ceremony for the tax deal, while Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was present, is disturbing!

Has Obama made a deal with the “devil” and turned against the “angels”? It could be that is the case! 🙁

Of course, some might say in refutation, that Obama wanted to avoid pain and suffering for the unemployed and for middle class taxpayers, but it seems more than ever that by what he agreed to, he may just have delayed the pain and suffering, and wounded the Social Security system and the social safety net to boot! 🙁

It may very well be that the long range effect may be more harmful than the short term gain, whatever it might be seen as being! 🙁

Barack Obama: The New “Comeback” Kid!

Ronald 1 Comment

It is hard to believe that just a month ago, Barack Obama had suffered a major “shellacking” as he termed it, with the loss of 63 seats in the House of Representatives and 6 in the Senate.

But by the success of his “compromise” deal with the Republicans, Obama is a “comeback” kid, much like Bill Clinton was in 1995, but ahead of schedule as compared to Clinton.

Obama was able to get unemployment compensation extension, a tax cut by lowering the Social Security tax temporarily, various business tax cuts as well, and a continuation of the tax cuts to 98 percent of the population, all guaranteed to please the average American.

Of course, Obama had to swallow the tax cut continuation for the wealthy, and puts the Social Security system theoretically in some danger by cutting the contributions temporarily to that program.

But he still has the veto power and a Democratic Senate, and is seen by many as having “won” over his GOP opponents overall.

And he has likely improved his chances to win re-election in 2012, as even Charles Krauthammer of the Weekly Standard and Fox New Channel asserts.

In comparisons to every possible GOP opponent, Obama wins, and leads Sarah Palin in a theoretical matchup by 22 points!

Obama has placed himself squarely in the center, and that is the way to win Presidential elections in America.

So Obama has truly, and very quickly, become the “Comeback” Kid!

Vice President Joe Biden On Way To Becoming Most Influential Vice Presidency In History! :)

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The Vice Presidency has been growing in authority and influence since the days of Richard Nixon in that office, the first Vice President to have a great impact on a Presidency.

After Nixon, Nelson Rockefeller, Walter Mondale, George H W Bush, Al Gore, and Dick Cheney added to the office in so many ways.

But it looks likely now that Joe Biden may eventually be seen as the most influential and powerful Vice President, even surpassing the role of Dick Cheney under President George W. Bush.

Originally a rival of Barack Obama for the Presidency, Biden is rapidly becoming more significant, particularly now that the Congress will be divided for the first time since 1987.

Biden, with his contacts on Capitol Hill, and good relations with members and leaders of both political parties, is the perfect person to negotiate for the administration, and comes across as a more “affable fellow” than Rahm Emanuel was, or really, any other person around President Obama.

Biden has been involved in the negotiations over the tax package, and also is working hard on the START Treaty that is soon coming up for a vote, and requires GOP support to pass with a two thirds vote.

Biden and Obama have truly bonded over time, and while Biden might not win every battle, as with Afghanistan policy, who can say that Obama will not eventually go Biden’s direction and lower our involvement in that forsaken nation?

Biden is totally loyal to Obama and a great team player, and he is proving to be a tremendous asset in so many ways.

And his big plus is everyone likes Joe, while many detested Dick Cheney.

Personality can get one far in politics, and Joe Biden has always been a “nice guy” who can get things done, and proves that it is not always true that “nice guys finish last”.

A Weird Scene: Former President Bill Clinton In White House Press Room After President Obama Leaves!

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A first occurred on Friday, when President Barack Obama met privately for 90 minutes with former President Bill Clinton, seeking his advice and support in the tough battle to gain Democratic Congressional support for his deal with Republican leaders on future tax cuts, including a two year extension of the so called Bush program covering all taxpayers, even millionaires and billionaires.

Clinton came to Obama’s defense, asserting that a compromise allowing the extension of unemployment compensation, a cut in the payroll tax on Social Security, and a resuming of the estate tax, although at a lesser rate than many Democrats desired, was the best that could be expected with the GOP taking over the House next year and having more seats in the Senate.

But the startling thing was that Obama announced he had to leave, that his wife Michelle was waiting for him, and then the country witnessed the former President back in the White House press room and at the podium, spending the next half hour enjoying himself, answering questions, and making one almost think that this was deja vu, that we were back in the Clinton era!

Never before had a former President ever been involved in a similar situation, and it demonstrated once again the clear cut ability of Bill Clinton to command attention, and continue, to his delight, to have an impact on events a full decade after he left the Presidency!

The Barack Obama-Bill Clinton Alliance: Good For The Democratic Party And The Nation!

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Former President Bill Clinton has shown true statesmanship and principle in coming to the support of President Barack Obama on the controversial tax bill negotiated between the President and the Republican opposition.

At a White House meeting and appearance before the news media, the two men united in support of the deal struck early in the week, pointing out that in many ways it is a second economic stimulus which has many advantages, although any compromise deal means both sides gain something and lose something.

Clinton became famous as a centrist President who “triangulated” with the House of Representatives and Senate, both bodies which were in the hands of the opposition from 1995-2001. Some good legislation came out of this “triangulation”.

This time, President Obama has the advantage of a Democratic Senate, so the dynamics of working together over the next two years will be different than it was in 1995, but the point is that it is better to have the benefits of the tax deal over leaving the issue to the new split Congress, and meanwhile denying unemployment compensation extension and action on some of the other important priorities that are being stalled by the Senate Republicans until the tax legislation passes.

Again, the deal that is on the table is not perfect, but it is better than sitting on one’s hands and doing nothing, and that is the message Bill Clinton joined the President in communicating.

Hopefully, over this weekend, the Democrats in both houses of Congress who are in revolt will come around to seeing things the way Bill Clinton and Barack Obama are portraying it.

And remember, Barack Obama has made it clear that he intends to fight over the next two years, and has stated that the Republican Party is holding the people of this nation as “hostages”, so no one should see the President as giving up the fight for progressive change.

Rather, he is recognizing the results of the midterm elections, and doing his best to make the most of it for his cause, within the limits of reality as it is.

Senator Bernie Sanders Of Vermont: A Truly Principled Progressive In The Vein Of Ted Kennedy, Paul Wellstone, And Russ Feingold! :)

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Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is still in process on his personal filibuster of the Obama-GOP tax deal, which has caused a major split in the Democratic Party in Congress.

Sanders is an Independent Socialist who allies with the Democratic Party in the Senate. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1991-2007, and was elected to the Senate in 2006. He has the distinction of being the longest serving Independent member of Congress in American history.

While some would say, “but he is a Socialist!”, the answer is “So what!” There is nothing wrong with Sanders’s brand of Socialism, as it is in the tradition of great progressives of the past, including Robert La Follette, Sr, Robert La Follette, Jr., George Norris, Hubert Humphrey, George McGovern, Ted Kennedy, Paul Wellstone, Russ Feingold and many others.

He is the champion of the working man and woman, of the middle class, of the poor, of the sick, of the elderly, of the young, of ethnic minorities, of ALL average Americans who will NEVER achieve the so called “American dream” of becoming wealthy. All they want is a fair shake from their government, instead of a government that favors the wealthy and upper class and corporations that promote monopoly, greed and selfishness.

Sanders is to be applauded for his principled stand, his high moral and ethical beliefs, and his willingness to remind us of how desperate conditions are for millions of Americans, who cannot afford gasoline, food, rent, medical costs, clothing etc on their struggling low income jobs if they are fortunate enough to have one, and the millions of Americans who have no work, are losing their homes, and whose children are facing the scarring nature of economic deprivation. 🙁

Sanders’ filibuster speech, lasting seven hours at this point with no set end in sight, is a speech for the ages, a speech which should be honored historically as much as the speech of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963, along with the great principled speeches of the people mentioned above, and others not named.

If only we had one hundred Bernie Sanders in the Senate, or a combination of Sanders and the various progressive leaders mentioned above, who are part of our history, we would be a far better nation.

Instead, through the ignorance and fear of many poor and middle class citizens, plus manipulation by special corporate
interests in the recent campaign, and assisted by the Supreme Court Citizens United decision in January, the country is now faced with the reality of a Republican Party which is going to make the plight of the American people MUCH MORE NIGHTMARISH over the next two years! 🙁

They have Barack Obama and the Democratic Party in a tough position for the moment, necessitating, unfortunately, the striking of a deal just to accomplish short range goals.

But starting next year, Barack Obama and his party MUST fight the good fight that Bernie Sanders represents, and work to convince the American people that the Democrats are indeed the party of the people who have their best interests at heart, and deserve control of both houses of Congress and the White House in the 2012 elections!

The Bernie Sanders Filibuster Against The Obama-GOP Tax Deal: An Honest Expression Of Frustration, But Not Ultimately A Winning Strategy! :(

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As the author writes, Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders is conducting a filibuster against the tax deal negotiated by the Obama Administration with Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate Minority Leader, and others.

In an unprecedented move, Congressional Democrats are staging a revolt against what their own party’s President has done, and the anger and venom felt by many progressives and liberals seems to have no limit.

They feel that the President has surrendered to the GOP, and that the tax deal is unacceptable, but the Republicans are “holding hostage’ all action on other issues, and already have prevented a final vote on the DREAM Act, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, the START Treaty, and the September 11 First Responders Medical legislation.

As the author has stated before, there are many problems with the proposed tax legislation, but continues to feel that the shortness of time prevents a major rebellion against the proposal, as if it is not done, unemployment compensation extension will be prevented, along with failure on the above list of priorities.

So while the author is sympathetic to what Senator Sanders is doing, and what Chuck Schumer, Anthony Wiener, Gary Ackerman, Jerrold Nadler, Mary Landrieu, and numerous others in both houses of Congress are expressing, it seems an unwise action, and it is certainly unusual to see progressives and liberals utilizing the filibuster tactic!

Hopefully, some tinkering with the legislation can be arranged, but major change will have to wait for the election results of 2012. Meanwhile, President Obama is meeting today with former President Bill Clinton to gain advice as to how to deal with this messy situation, similar to what Clinton faced after the disastrous midterm losses of 1994.